Systems and methods for diagnosing and analyzing concussions

ABSTRACT

A system for determining whether a user has a concussion includes: a mobile device including a camera, microphone, display, an application program running on the mobile device, and a network connection, and a back end processing server, the mobile device further including a processor that is configured to execute program instructions associated with the application that cause the mobile device to: collect audio in response to specific questions from the user using the microphone, and transmit the audio to the back end processing server, and wherein the back end processing server configured to execute program instructions to: receive the audio stream from the user, store the audio stream, process the audio stream to recognize speech within the audio stream, and compare parameters associated with the speech recognition with prior speech for the user collected on a prior occasion in response to the same questions.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to diagnosing head trauma, and moreparticularly, to diagnosing head trauma using a mobile device based onthe interaction of an injured user with features of the mobile device.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is well known that contact and other sports have the potential toproduce concussions in players resulting from collisions with otherplayers, equipment or the ground. This potential has resulted in variousforms of in-office concussion testing and baseline testing usingexternal equipment. Usually, a concussion baseline test needs to bescheduled for a specific time and in a specific location. When a player,particularly a young player has undergone a head trauma on a playingfield, the player is typically far from a doctor and the player's coachis typically the first responder. The coach may or may not have receivedconcussion training and in most events is not well equipped to diagnosethe injury to the player.

There is a need for better and more convenient techniques for baselinetests and for identifying concussion signs and symptoms that can becaptured by people who are nearby sports teams. There is a further needfor concussion diagnosis to be made in a more accurate way based onequipment that is readily available. Given the convenience of the tests,the test can be administered by the coach, parents, and the playerhimself/herself. Therefore, more data will be captured and analyzedusing machine learning techniques, and this will in turn make the systemto provide better artificial intelligence, more accurate scores, andbetter annotated data for doctor's evaluation. This application can alsohelp evaluate and track the progress of a concussion. In addition, theapplication's messaging system will connect the injured player withavailable doctors. When there is concussion, the application can helpfind an available doctor. When the coach is not sure about the testresult, he/she can send the annotate data to an available doctor toreview through the internet.

If a concussion does occur, the doctor or the coach can mark the caseusing the App so that it registers with the backend server. Then, thebackend server has a collection of data on the baseline test and thetest before/around the concussion. This type of data is very useful forrepeated-measure analyses to find out important factors that mightrelate to concussion. For example, speech analyses and machine learningcan produce a lot of features but we don't know which ones are useful inadvance. Using data analyses and machine learning, we can optimize thescoring and add new features to the scoring and further improve theaccuracy. After removing personal identifiable information, the data canbe shared with scientific community and medical research institutes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to an embodiments of the present invention, a mobile device,such as a parent's, coach's or player's mobile phone is converted into aconcussion diagnostic tool. The tool may diagnose concussion on thebasis of one or multiple factors that are scored, for example theplayer's balance, eye movement, speech responses to questions, buttonpressing response time, and other information about the location of theimpact. A mobile device may be equipped with speech recognition andvoice prompting to enable a concussion examination of a player to beadministered by another player or coach to the injured player withoutsignificant effort by the injured player or helper. Each test may bescored, by itself or against one or more baselines for the injuredplayer to develop an overall score and likelihood of a concussion. Thedata captured by the mobile device may be sent to a backend server forprocessing and analyses using the state-of-the-art machine learningtechnologies. The analyzed/annotated data may be saved in the cloud forlater review and analyses. When the coach thinks there is a concussion,he/she can use the application to help find a doctor. When the coach isnot sure about the test results, he/she can send the machine learningannotated data to an online doctor for reviewing.

According to another embodiment, the examiner administers acomprehensive set of tests using a mobile device. The athlete userresponds to the tests by using speech (for cognitive tests), by pressingbuttons on mobile device (for response time test), by following a movingmobile device (for eye tracking), and hold the mobile device and moveunder the examiner's direction (for balance tests). For all the tests,the mobile device will capture the data (speech, response delays, eyevideo, and accelerometer data) and send to a backend server for analysesand scoring using machine learning approaches. The scores will becomputed in relation to a baseline and are indicative of likelihood ofconcussion. After the analyses, the annotated data will be saved on thecloud server for doctor's review and for a trend analysis. The speechanalyses include speech recognition, natural language processing,slurring, pitch analysis, phoneme alignment, hesitation analysis, speechdelay, spectrum analysis, speaker identification and comparison, etc.The response time analyses include mean, medium, variance, and slope.The eye tracking analyses will include image analysis, eye tracking, eyegaze estimation, eye movement classification, estimating fixationstability and smooth pursuit lag. The application also has a function tohelp find available concussion doctors. This invention is different fromother existing systems as it includes the state-of-the-art artificialintelligence and machine learning technologies, it works on a mobiledevice, and it includes back-end servers for analyzing and data storage.Thus, this invention produces a more accurate, timely, and convenientway of assessing brain injuries given such a variety oftests/assessments. Also, an important aspect of the App is that it canprovide an abundant of data for scientific research and forself-improving using machine learning.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The above described features and advantages of the invention, will bemore fully appreciated with reference to the attached drawing figures.

FIG. 1 depicts a view of a mobile device's screen while displaying aconcussion application that allows a user to select a player forconcussion testing.

FIG. 2 depicts a method for determining a baseline score and concussiontest based on questions and responses, according to an embodiment of theinvention.

FIG. 3 depicts a view of a mobile device that prompts a user for areading analysis test.

FIG. 4 depicts a method for performing an eye tracking test according toan embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 depicts a method for determining a score during a balance test.

FIG. 6 depicts an application photograph that illustrates using facialfeatures to facilitate testing, including balance testing.

FIG. 7 depicts a balance test method.

FIG. 8 depicts another balance test method.

FIG. 9 depicts a sway test.

FIG. 10 depicts the application software on the mobile device running alistening test.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one or more embodiments of the present invention, a mobiledevice, such as a parent's, coach's or player's mobile phone isconverted into a concussion diagnostic tool. The tool may diagnoseconcussion on the basis of one or multiple factors that are scored, forexample the player's balance, eye movement, speech responses toquestions, button pressing response time, and other information aboutthe location of the impact. A mobile device may be equipped with speechrecognition and voice prompting to enable a concussion examination of aplayer to be administered by another player or coach to the injuredplayer without significant effort by the injured player or helper. Eachtest may be scored, by itself or against one or more baselines for theinjured player to develop an overall score and likelihood of aconcussion. The data captured by the mobile device may be sent to abackend server for processing and analyses using the state-of-the-artmachine learning technologies. The analyzed/annotated data may be savedin the cloud for later review and analyses. When the coach thinks thereis a concussion, he/she can use the application to help find a doctor.When the coach is not sure about the test results, he/she can send themachine learning annotated data to an online doctor for reviewing.

According to another embodiment, the examiner administers acomprehensive set of tests using a mobile device. The athlete userresponds to the tests by using speech (for cognitive tests), by pressingbuttons on mobile device (for response time test), by following a movingmobile device (for eye tracking), and hold the mobile device and moveunder the examiner's direction (for balance tests). For all the tests,the mobile device will capture the data (speech, response delays, eyevideo, and accelerometer data) and send to a backend server for analysesand scoring using machine learning approaches. The scores will becomputed in relation to a baseline and are indicative of likelihood ofconcussion. After the analyses, the annotated data will be saved on thecloud server for doctor's review and for a trend analysis. The speechanalyses include speech recognition, natural language processing,slurring, pitch analysis, phoneme alignment, hesitation analysis, speechdelay, spectrum analysis, speaker identification and comparison, etc.The response time analyses include mean, medium, variance, and slope.The eye tracking analyses will include image analysis, eye tracking, eyegaze estimation, eye movement classification, estimating fixationstability and smooth pursuit lag. The application also has a function tohelp find available concussion doctors. This invention is different fromother existing systems as it includes the state-of-the-art artificialintelligence and machine learning technologies, it works on a mobiledevice, and it includes back-end servers for analyzing and data storage.Thus, this invention produces a more accurate, timely, and convenientway of assessing brain injuries given such a variety oftests/assessments. Also, an important aspect of the App is that it canprovide an abundant of data for scientific research and forself-improving using machine learning.

A mobile App may be used according to some embodiments of the invention.The App may be distributed for example in Apple App Store or in GooglePlay or otherwise made available or distributed for use on mobiledevices, like mobile phones, tables or laptops, or other computingdevices.

The App may have a user account management that communicates with abackend server. A player can have his/her own account. In this account,the player can perform a self-evaluation, review his/her annotated pasttest data and results, perform a trend analysis, review statistics inthe region/group, and message his/her coach. The coach has an accountthat manages a list of players. A player can ask to join a coach, and acoach can invite a player to join. The coach can use his/her account toadminister a test. The coach can also review annotated test results inthe past. Tests are labeled as self-initiated, parent-initiated, andcoach-initiated. Parents also can have accounts.

The App users can login to their accounts in a traditional way (typingin username and password) or choose to use voice authentication. Afterthe login, the user can continue to operate through buttons or throughvoice. The voice will be streamed to a backend server for speechrecognition and natural language understanding. The speech will beconverting to actions. For example, an examiner could register a playerbut dictating all the details: “John is 5′11, 190 lbs, male, runningback. Take me to the eye-tracking test”. The app would register allthese details and launch the eye tracking test.

Before the test, the trainer can also input some information about theplayer. But this is optional. Again, the trainer can type in theinformation or use voice interface. The information can include thehelmet make and model, the condition of the player (having a cold,having a fever, or headache).

The App has user interface for the tests. There are many pages for thetests. Once a test is selected, the App will collect data (audio, video,button press time, accelerometer), communicate with a backend/cloudserver, and display results. The App may display a warning if therecognized speaker identity is different from the registered user.

In the App, there is an option for a coach to choose to administer thetest using button pressing or using speech recognition.

The message also has a messaging system between coach, player, anddoctors. The doctor or the coach can mark a concussion test if aconcussion does occur. Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile device 100 mayhave a screen display associated with each team that lets a coach,player, parent, trainer or other person select a player on each team onwhich to perform a concussion baseline test or perform a concussiontest.

The mobile device may be a mobile phone, table, laptop computer or anyother type of computer. The mobile device typically includes at leastone processor coupled with a memory, input/output device such as adisplay or touchscreen display or keys, at least one network connectionsuch as a wireless (wi-fi, bluetooth and/or cellular network connection)or other network connection, a microphone, speaker, headphones (wirelessor wired) and other devices that are included in a mobile phone such asan accelerometer for inertial measurement and measurement of theposition and angle of the phone, steps, sway, etc., GPS, and otherdevices. The processor executes program instructions for an operatingsystem and application programs that enable the mobile device to accesseach of its systems and interact with a user through the input outsystem and collect images, audio, video and other data from sensor andsend such data to the back end processing server for concussion analysisin accordance with embodiments of the invention. The applicationprograms and program instructions may implement the steps and processesshown below in connection with the concussion application.

The back end processing server includes a network connection and theability to receive and analyze data from the mobile device and mayinclude all or portions of the hardware and functionality describedabove in connection with the mobile device. The analysis is performed bya processor executing program instructions that may execute thefunctionality shown and described in the figures below as associatedwith the back end processing server.

Tests

The mobile application is broken into the following assessments, whichmay be done anywhere but are preferably all done through a mobile deviceclose to where an incident occurred or at least close to the user whouses the app for baseline, self-diagnosis or facilitated diagnosis by aparent, coach, trainer or other helper.

Cognitive Assessment

According to some embodiments, the trainer will have the athlete wearbluetooth earphones [if outside environment is too loud] to listen to 15questions (see appendix I for list of questions). The trainer can eithersay “Question 1” or press a button to go to the first question, whichwill be played to the player. When the player speaks in reply to eachquestion, the audio will be streamed to a backend server for voiceactivitity detection (VAD), speech recognition (e.g., “february secondtwo thousand seventeen”), natural language processing (e.g., “Feb. 2,2017”), and other speech analyses. Then the App will display the results(recognized text and whether it is correct).

The App will prompt the trainer to the next step (moving on to the nextquestion, re-doing the question, and instructing the player how toanswer). For each question, the answer is streamed to the back andserver and additional processing will be running on the backend serverto analyze the pitch (tone), delay in the response, speed of speech,clarity of the speech, hesitation in the speech (uh-uh), and phonemeduration, and speaker identification (SID). The app or back endprocessing associated with the app or otherwise analyzes for pitch,delay, speed, and hesitation among other factors in some embodiments.For the pitch analysis, we will analyze for changes in the pitch and ifthere is any trembling in pitch. For the delay in response, we will lookat how long it takes for the player to start answering. For the speed ofspeech, we will look at how long the speech is. For the clarity of thespeech, we will look into the confidence in the recognition results. Wewill also detect the hesitation filler in the speech (uh-uh). For thephoneme duration analysis, we will look into any change in the phonemepatterns (some phonemes might be omitted due to concussion). For theSID, we will evaluate whether the player sounds like a different person.

When all the questions are answered, we will summarize and present atleast one score. According to some embodiments, a general score isgenerated as indicative of likelihood of concussion based on theanalyzed speed as described above. The score may also be based on twobaseline numbers: One is universal baseline for which we will usecrowd-sourcing (e.g., Mechnical-Turk) to collect a gerneral based data;and the other is individual baseline for which each individual willperform baseline tests. For the universal baseline test, each individualwill perform the tests several times spanning a few days. In this way,we can compute the intra-person and inter-person differences. Theuniversal baseline will provide a general distribution of features interms of gender, age group, language background, weight, and height. Theindividual baseline will provide a reference for that individual. Forexample, if the system detects a pitch change, it will generate asignificance score for such change. The higher the significance, thehigher the possibility of concussion. In the end, all the factor scoreswill be weighted to produce an overall concussion score.

TABLE 1 Questions for the Cognitive Assessment 1. What is the currentyear? 2. What is the current month? 3. What is the current day? 4. Whatis the current date? 5. What is the current time? 6. Repeat thefollowing words : radio, cloud, scorecard, table, nickel. 7. Repeatthese numbers: 28541? 8. Repeat 17362 in reverse order? 9. Subtract 6from 99 three times? 10. Spell the word SPORTS backwards? 11. Say thewords of the week backwards? 12. Put the letters from the word “WIN” inbackwards order. 13. Put the letters from the word “PLAY” in backwardsorder. 14. Put the letters from the word “TEAMS” in backwards order. 15.You were asked to repeat five words at the beginning. Which words do youremember?

FIG. 2 depicts a method of performing a cognitive test using a mobiledevice with application software and a back end server with software asdescribed herein according to one embodiment of the invention. Referringto FIG. 2, in step 200 a cognitive test is initiated by an evaluator,which may be a player, user, coach, parent teacher or other party. Instep 210, questions are asked and answere. Table 1 may be used as anillustrative source of questions for the method. For example, Questions6-8 and 15 can serve as a memory and attention test. For Question 6, thefive words (radio, cloud, scorecard, table, nickel) will be randomizedin order first and then be presented to the player using text-to-speech(TTS) technology. The player will need to repeat these words in orderthat they are heard. The speech recognition technology will register allcorrect words. For Question 7, five numbers from 1-9 will be selectedand randomized in order first and then be presented to the player. Theplayer will need to repeat these numbers in order that they are heard.For Question 8, five numbers from 1-9 will be selected and randomized inorder and then be presented to the player. The player will need to orderthese numbers from the smallest to the largest. The Questions 6-8 may berepeated two-three times. The Questions 9 and 11 can serve to test theplayer's analytic ability. For Question 9, a random number A from 80 to99 will be chosen, and a random number B will be chosen from 5 to 9. Theplayer will be asked to substract B from A three times. For example, theApp may prompt “Please subtract 6 from 99 three times.” This questionmay be repeated two-three times. For Question 11, the player willinstruct to say the weekdays backwards starting with Sunday orWednesday.

The Questions 10 and 12-14 can function as attention and memory tests aswell. For these questions, four-letter or five-letter popular andregular words will be randomly chosen from a list (e.g., sport, teams,week, food, game) and be presented to the player. The player will be askspell backwards. Questions may be taken from table 1 or 2 in someembodiments and used in whole or in part in some embodiments or combinedwith each other.

In step 220, automatic speech recognition (ASR) may be used to check forthe correct words. In step 230, ASR, machine translation (MT) and/ornatural language processing (NLP) may be used to perform analysis on thespeech. Analysis may include the duration of a word, which may reflectslurring and other data on the degree of matching of utterances to priorutterances by the same concussion suspect in the baseline or after aprior concussion. In step 240, according to the method, the processorrunning the concussion software determines a score based on the numberof correct responses and the analyses of the audio. The data analysisand results are stored on a server associated with the concussionapplication. In 250, for baseline testing, the scores and analyses arestored in a database as a baseline test, which may later be used to testthe corresponding user for a concussion. New tests test the likelihoodof a concussion and information and analyses for these tests are alsostored.

FIG. 3 depicts a display of a mobile phone that illustrates anapplication to test memory and utterance. Words, such as thoseidentified herein, may be required to be memorized, read aloud and thenanalzed.

Eye Tracking Assessment:

For an eye tracking assessment using the mobile device, the trainer willfirst press a button to play the instruction to the player so that theplayer will look at the back of the mobile device and focus on thecamera lens when the while the trainer moves the mobile device movesfrom right to left, up and down in an ‘H’ pattern. After theinstruction, the trainer will press a button to start the eye trackingtest and to turn on the camera. The trainer will then move the mobiledevice in the ‘H’ pattern. The images will be streamed to a backendserver for analyses. Note that the streaming rate will be 8 fps toreduce data. Through eye tracking technologies (facial recognition) andthe accelorometer of the mobile device, the movement of the athlete'siris/pupil will be measured and quantitfied by these technologies. Forexample, the system will find the locations of eyes, iris/pupils, nose,and mouth in each image and then track the location across images. Basedon these estimates, the system estimates the distance of face and itsangle in relation to the camera and ultimately the fixation point ofeyes. Consequently, eye fixation stability and smooth pursuit lag can beestimated. These data will be compared against the universal baselineand the individual baseline to generate an estimated score of likelihoodof concussion. At the same time, this score will be later weighted andcombined to estimate the overall concussion score.

Referring to FIG. 4, an evaluator conducts an eye tracking test.Referring to FIG. 4, in step 400, the trainer/Evaluator initiates an eyetracking test using the app. In 410, the evaluator follows guide on themobile device 100 to move the device in an “H” pattern. In 420, themobile phone uses imaging processing technology to locate the concussionsuspects eyes, pupils and irises and analyzes iris and pupil movements,which may indicate a concussion. In 430, the application calculates ascore based on the eye movements.

Eye Movement Test

Referring to FIG. 5, another method of performing an eye movement testis described below. In 500, the injured is prompted to face the helperand stand still. In 510, the camera from the mobile device 100 ispointed at the injured. In 520, the camera operator films the injuredmaking eye movements. In 530, the injured is prompted to perform “H” eyemovements while being filmed by the mobile device 100. In 540, thecomplete eye test is stored in the server and the eye positions andmovement of the iris and pupils are included. In 550, the video isanalyzed and in 560, a score is determined, which may become a baselineif it is the first test or may be an actual concussion test if later.

The image in FIG. 6 for mobile device 100 highlights that facialrecognition technology on the mobile device may be used to recognizefaces, eyes, pupil location and face angle and other information. Thistechnology may be then used as described above to analyze and ultimatelyscore eye tracking movement.

Balance Test:

This test can be done in two ways:

First, an athlete will hold mobile device to their chest and perform aseries of balancing maneuvers, standing on one leg and walking in astraight line similar to a DUI police test. The mobile device'saccelerometer will measure the level of balance. Using the accelerometerin the mobile device a score will be generate to determine how well theathlete did. The trainer will initiate each test by pressing a button.The accelerometer data will be sent to the backend server for analysesand compared to universal baseline and individual baseline. In thesetests, the analyses include speed stability and direction stability.

The tests from above will be video taped. Using video analysis andsetting certain parameters, the athlete should be within these ranges.

Second, an athelete can be recorded by video doing a sway test (as shownin FIG. 9) or performing any of the balancing tests described above,which may then be subject to video analysis as described herein.

Referring to FIG. 7, in 700 a trainer initiates a balance assessment onan injured using the mobile device 100. In 710, using the accelerometeron the mobile device, balance tests are conducted as described herein.The balance tests are then analyzed using the data from theaccelerometer to determine wobble, falling and other deviations fromgood balance and score the balance test on the basis of themeasurements. In 720, scoring is done using video analysis, relying onimages of the location of a user's limbs and body. The video andaccelerometer scores may be completely independent or may be combined.

FIG. 8 depicts another method of performing a balance test using themobile device 100. Referring to FIG. 8, in 800, an injured is promptedto face a helper and stand still. In 810, the mobile device is pointed athe injured. In 820, the mobile device begins filming a user walking. In830, the injured is prompted to walk and perform tasks. In 840, thebalance test is completed and the video stored on the server along withthe accelerometer recordings. In 850, the mobile device analyzes thevideo of the subject and the accelerometer to determine deviations frombalance that occur during the balancing test and to assign as score as aresult.

Reaction Test

Referring to FIG. 10, a reaction test is based on sound and touching thescreen by the injured. For example, referring to FIG. 10, the trainerwill be instructed to hand the phone to the athlete. The athlete will beinstructed to press the button that appears on the mobile device'sscreen each time he or she hears number ‘7’. The mobile app system willregister the reaction delay (the time between number “7” and the buttonpress) and this will contribute to the athlete's reaction score. Thereaction time score will be computed based on the universal baseline andindividual baseline. The mean, medium, and variance. In addition, alinear fitting will be applied to the response time in regard to thepresentation number. The slope will indicate whether the response timeis stable, faster, or slower in the process.

For example, an evaluator may start a reaction test. An injured is givena series of questions which the injured has to answer as quickly aspossible. The proportion of correct answers is calculated into apercentage score and time to respond is also recorded. In a parallelpath, reaction speed and using the mobile devices' accelerometer andtouch screen to assess how quickly a user presses the screen after beingaudibly prompted can be used to determine a slow or quick response time.

Final score and individual scores

After all tasks are finished, the mobile app or the concussion softwarestored on the server in some embodiments displays an overall weightedscore indicating likelihood of concussion and suggests actions (play,sit out, consult with a doctor, and see a doctor right away). Inaddition, the four group scores will also display on buttons (cognitiontest, eye-tracking test, balance test, and reaction time test). Whenpressing on the buttons, detailed results will be shown and the onesthat have low scores will be highlighted. If further pressed, the audiocan be played.

The mobile device and the server each include a processor, memory,networking units that couple the mobile device and the server tonetworks, such as telephone and data networks. The mobile device andback end server are also each coupled to each other to exchange data.The memory stores program instructions for the respective concussionapplication program and back end functionality including data storage,analysis and scoring. The processor executes the program instructions toimplement the software and method described herein. The mobile devicemay also include a camera, an accelerometer, a microphone, a touchscreenand other devices which produce data or a real time stream of data thatare used in the concussion testing.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shownand described. A person having ordinary skill in the art will understandthat changes may be made to those embodiments without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention.

TABLE 2 SCAT 3 Protocol 1. GLASGOW COMA SCALE-the examiner should choosethe most appropriate response based on evaluation. Best Eye Response (E)Eye opening in response to pain Eye opening to speech Eyes openingspontaneously Best Verbal Response (V) No verbal responseIncomprehensible sounds Inappropriate words Oriented Best Motor Response(M) No motor response Extension to pain Abnormal flexion to painFlexion/Withdrawal to pain Localizes to pain Obeys commands 2. MADDOCKSSCORE-Examiner checks off ‘yes or no’ “I am going to ask you a fewquestions, please listen carefully and give your best effort.” Whatvenue are we at today? Which half is it now? Who scored last in thismatch? What team did you play last week/game? Did your team win the lastgame? Notes can be record here using speech to text transcription,examiner will ask “tell me what happened” 3. HOW DO YOU FEEL? Examinerwill ask the athlete 22 symptoms questions. Examiner will manuallychoose a number from 0 to 6 on how severe the symptoms are (6 being mostsevere). 4. COGNITIVE ASSESSMENT Using speech recognition OrientationWhat month is it? What is the date today? What is the day of the week?What year is it? What time is it right now? (within 1 hour) ImmediateMemory: Repeat the following words: elbow, apple, carpet, saddle,carpet, bubble. Concentration: Repeat the following in reverse order:1. 4-9-3 2. 3-8-1-4 3. 6-2-9-7-1 4. 7-1-8-4-6-2 5. “Tell me the monthsof year in reverse order starting with December?” 5. NECKEXAMINATION-Athlete is instructed to perform certain neck movements.Examiner can take notes. Speech to text transcription is used here withmanual edit. 6. BALANCE EXAMINATION: user is to balance exercises aslisted below. Using video analysis, errors are recorded by video.Modified Balance Error Scoring System (BESS) testing This balancetesting is based on a modified version of the Balance Error ScoringSystem (BESS). A stopwatch or watch with a second hand is required forthis testing. Which foot was tested (i.e. which is the non-dominantfoot) Left Right Testing Surface “I am now going to test your balance.Please take your shoes off, roll up your pant legs above ankle (ifapplicable), and remove any ankle taping (if applicable). This test willconsist of three twenty second tests with different stances” (a) Doubleleg stance:

 “The first stance is standing with your feet together with your handson your hips and with your eyes closed. You should try to maintainstability in that position for 20 seconds. I will be counting the numberof times you move out of this position. I will start timing when you areset and have closed your eyes”

(b) Single leg stance:

“If you were to kick a ball, which foot would you use? [This will be thedominant foot] Now stand on your non-dominant foot. The dominant legshould be held in approximately 30 degrees of hip flexion and 45 degreesof knee flexion. Again, you should try to maintain stability for 20seconds with your hands on your hips and your eyes closed. I will becounting the number of times you move out of this position. If youstumble out of this position, open your eyes and return to the startposition and continue balancing. I will start timing when you are setand have closed your eyes”

(c) Tandem stance:

“Now stand heel-to-toe with your non-dominant foot in back. Your weightshould be evenly distributed across both feet. Again, you should try tomaintain stability for 20 seconds with your hands on your hips and youreyes closed. I will be counting the number of times you move out of thisposition. If you stumble out of this position, open your eyes and returnto the start position and continue balancing. I will start timing whenyou are set and have closed your eyes.“

And/or Tandem Gate Participants are instructed to stand with their feettogether behind a starting line (the test is best done with footwearremoved). Then, they

walk in a forward direction as quickly and as accurately as possiblealong

 a 38 mm wide (sports tape), 3 meter line with an alternate footheel-to-toe gait ensuring that they approximate their heel and toe oneach step. Once they cross the end of the 3 m line, they turn 180degrees and return to the starting point using the same gait. A total of4 trials are done and the best time is retained. Athletes shouldcomplete the test in 14 seconds. Athletes fail the test if they step offthe line, have a separation between their heel and toe, or if they touchor grab the examiner or an object. In this case, the time is notrecorded and the trial repeated, if appropriate. Balance Testing-typesof errors Hands lifted off iliac crest

Opening eyes

Step, stumble or fall

Moving hip into >30 degrees abduction Lifting forefoot or heel Remainingout of test position >5 sec Each of the 20-second trials is scored bycounting the errors, or deviations from the proper stance, accumulatedby the athlete. The examiner will begin counting errors only after theindividual has assumed the proper start position. The modified BESS iscalculated by adding one error point for each error during the three20-second tests. The maximum total number of errors for any singlecondition is 10. Subjects that are unable to maintain the testingprocedure for a minimum of five seconds at the start are assigned thehighest possible score, ten, for that testing condition. Double LegStance (feet together) Single Leg Stance (non-dominant foot) TandemStance (non-dominant foot at back) Balance Examination score (30 scoretotal errors) And/or Tandem gait: 7. COORDINATION Finger-to-nose (FTN)task: using video analysis “I am going to test your coordination now.Please sit comfortably

on the chair with your eyes open and your arm (either right or left)outstretched (shoulder flexed to 90 degrees and elbow and fingersextended). When I give a start signal, I would like you to perform fivesuccessive finger to nose repetitions using your index finger to touchthe tip of the nose as quickly and as accurately as possible.” Which armwas tested: Left Right Scoring: 5 correct repetitions in <4 seconds = 1Note for testers: Athletes fail the test if they do not touch theirnose, do not fully extend their elbow or do not perform fiverepetitions. Failure should be scored as 0. 8. DELAYED RECALL “Do youremember that list of words I read a few times earlier Tell me as manywords from the list as you can remember in any order.” Speechrecognition is used to capture response.

1. A system for determining whether a user has a concussion, comprising:a mobile device including a camera, microphone, display, an applicationprogram running on the mobile device, and a network connection; and aback end processing server; the mobile device further including aprocessor that is configured to execute program instructions associatedwith the application that cause the mobile device to: collect audio inresponse to specific questions from the user using the microphone; andtransmit the audio to the back end processing server; and wherein theback end processing server configured to execute program instructionsto: receive the audio stream from the user; store the audio stream;process the audio stream to recognize speech within the audio stream;and compare parameters associated with the speech recognition with priorspeech for the user collected on a prior occasion in response to thesame questions.
 2. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:back end processor further configured to execute program instructionsto: determine at least one of the following: delay in speech, slurringin speech, higher pitch in speech, insertion of hesitation sounds. 3.The system according to claim 1, further comprising: the back end systemconfigured to execute a complete concussion test and a score for a userbased on analyzing speech recognition responses from the user.
 4. Thesystem according to claim 3, further comprising: the back end systembeing configured to execute a complete concussion test and a score for auser wherein the score is further based on prior concussion testsconducted using speech recognition responses from the user.
 5. Thesystem according to claim 4, further comprising: the mobile devicecollecting and transmitting eye movement using the camera andtransmitting the eye movement to the back and server for concussionanalysis and scoring.
 6. The system according to claim 5, furthercomprising: the mobile device collecting and transmitting balance datato the back end server for concussion analysis and scoring. 7-9.(canceled)